Accused NZ drug mule collapses in court

A NEW Zealander on trial for smuggling drugs into Bali has fainted in court after clutching at his chest and complaining he couldn't understand the court translation.

ANTONY de Malmanche, 52, had to be carried from the Denpasar courthouse on Thursday and was then driven to hospital in the prosecutor's car.

The Wanganui man was arrested in December at Bali's International airport and charged with carrying 1.7kg of methamphetamine in his backpack.He faces charges that carry the death penalty.Before the trial resumed on Thursday, de Malmanche complained to the judge that he couldn't understand the translation.Translator Wayan Ana then tried to withdraw himself from the trial, saying "every time, he has complaints".The judge persuaded Mr Wayan to continue with a slower translation.Lawyer for de Malmanche, Chris Harno, then complained about the conduct of the prosecution at last week's hearing, when a customs officer told the court the Kiwi was soaked with sweat at customs, which was suspicious, given the cold airport.Mr Harno said the prosecution was "trying to hide the possibility that he is a victim of a syndicate"."We just want to seek justice," he said.Judge Cening Budiana agreed Mr Harno could discuss the possibility of bringing CCTV footage from the airport to trial, and two further witnesses from customs.Bali drug squad officer Gede Suparta was the only witness to front the trial on Thursday, before de Malmanche took ill.The officer told the court that on taking custody of de Malmanche, his team took him to the hotel he had reserved, along with his mobile phone, in expectation of people named April and Michael collecting the drugs."This was conducted based on the defendant's testimony," he said.After two days, no one showed up.Mr Harno - who has already tried to have the police dossier rejected because his client was not told of his rights for representation in the first 48 hours - asked if the officer had offered a lawyer or translator.He replied: "No, it's not my authority".Asked if he conducted fingerprinting, he said no.The judge was to call a second drug squad witness when he observed de Malmanche looked sick.The hearing was adjourned, three hours in, and the prisoner was given water and invited to lay on the bench.He then fainted, and was taken to hospital in the prosecutor's car.De Malmanche's lawyers plan a novel defence that will argue he is a victim of human trafficking, rather than a trafficker.They say he had travelled to Hong Kong believing he would meet his internet girlfriend "Jessie" before flying to Bali on the instructions of a man he thought to be her assistant.

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Handbags stolen from Vic hospital patients

A homeless woman is wanted by police after handbags were stolen from Melbourne hospital patients. Source: AAP

A HOMELESS woman is wanted for questioning after handbags were stolen from Melbourne hospital patients.

REBECCA Cheryl Porter, 33, was due to appear in the Dandenong Magistrates Court last month charged with burglary but failed to appear.

Handbags and personal items have been stolen from patients in public hospitals and other areas around inner Melbourne, and police think Ms Porter can assist their investigation.She is known to frequent the Richmond, Fitzroy and Collingwood areas.A warrant has been issued for her arrest.

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Legal aid groups welcome funding flip

Attorney-General George Brandis has defended the government's backflip to cut legal aid funding. Source: AAP

LEGAL aid groups have welcomed the government's about-face on plans to slash $25.5 million from legal aid commissions, community legal centres and indigenous legal providers.

THAT was also good news for Liberal MP Sharman Stone who said after much worry and concern, the funding would continue.

After complaints from states, territories and legal groups about the impact of the legal aid funding reduction on domestic violence victims and indigenous Australians, the government on Thursday announced it would revive a two-year funding commitment.Attorney-General George Brandis initially justified this funding reduction as a contribution to efforts to rein in the budget "train wreck" left by Labor.However, he's happy the cuts are being reversed, describing it as a more nuanced approach to the budget problem.While the government was determined to exercise fiscal discipline, it also wanted to look after the most vulnerable people in the community."Those are not inconsistent objectives," he told reporters in Canberra.National Legal Aid, the peak legal aid body, welcomed reinstatement of this funding but said it still only went part of the way to addressing the high level of unmet need for legal aid services.NLA chairwoman Gabrielle Canny said legal aid commissions were at the forefront of efforts to help victims of family and domestic violence."More than two-thirds of work done by the legal assistance sector for women and children is provided by legal aid commissions," she said."But they need to be better resourced to deliver adequate services for vulnerable women and children."Dr Stone said community centres delivered free legal advice to people with a range of issues."Most importantly these centres help people who have experienced domestic violence, family law issues, bankruptcy, defamation, discrimination, employment problems and a number of other issues," she said in a statement.

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Price-fixing French yoghurt firms fined

FRANCE'S competition authority has fined the country's dominant yoghurt makers 192 million euros ($A266.98 million) for fixing prices over several years.

THE decision announced on Thursday targets 11 companies - including Yoplait and Lactalis - that represent 90 per cent of the French market in yoghurt and related products.

The cartel was uncovered thanks to a special procedure that allows companies to report their own price-fixing activity to regulators in exchange for reduced fines. Yoplait was the first company to report the activity, and was given no fines.The companies agreed on how and when to raise prices from 2006 to 2012, as yoghurt executives held secret meetings via dedicated phone numbers and in hotels, a famed Paris cafe and an apartment, according to the ruling.The companies can appeal the decision.

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High winds set to hamper bushfire efforts

Aircraft are dumping retardant in a bid to contain a bushfire that continues to burn in Tasmania. Source: AAP

WINDS forecast to reach speeds of up to 100km/h will hamper efforts to control a bushfire which continues to tear across northern Tasmania.

BURNING for more than 48 hours and through some 1000 hectares of bushland near George Town, the fire remains out of control and is heading east toward dense forest, the Tasmanian Fire Service says.

"The winds are of quite a bit of concern to us," incident controller Steve Lowe said on Thursday afternoon."We have done some really hard work on the northern front and if we can hold it, hopefully we can get on top of it, but it all depends on these wind gusts that are coming through."The fire isn't threatening homes or infrastructure, but residents of Lefroy are being urged to remain alert.The township of about 70 homes was evacuated on Wednesday and the blaze came within a kilometre of residences."At this point in time there is no threat ... but we need all people in the area to remain up-to-date as conditions change," Mr Lowe said.Two fixed-wing aircraft brought in from Victoria spent Thursday dumping thousands of litres of retardant, while crews continued the battle on the ground.The focus has been on the northern, most active, fire front which is being fuelled by southwesterly winds expected to peak in speed by midnight.There is still no cause for the fire, which started in a state forest late on Tuesday.It was deemed safe enough for investigators to enter the fire ground on Thursday and begin their work.In other parts of Tasmania temperatures dipped on Thursday, with snow recorded on some peaks.

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Applications for US unemployment aid dive

THE number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week, a sign that a recent string of strong job gains may continue.

THE US Labor Department says weekly applications for unemployment aid dropped 21,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 283,000. The four-week average of applications, a less volatile number, fell 6500 to 289,750, its lowest level in 15 weeks.

Applications are a proxy for layoffs. They have been near or below 300,000 since September, a very low reading by historical standards that points to solid hiring. The average has dropped 16 per cent in the past year.That decline has coincided with much stronger job gains. Employers added more than 1 million jobs from November through January, the strongest three-month pace in 17 years.

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Man to be interviewed over Vic hit-run

A 33-year-old man has been arrested over a hit-run accident that killed a teenager in Melbourne. Source: AAP

POLICE will interview a man suspected to be involved in a fatal hit-and-run incident in Melbourne.

A 33-YEAR-OLD Hillside man was arrested on Thursday after a police officer spotted a light-coloured SUV that allegedly hit two teenagers while they were crossing a road in Delahey.

A 17-year-old boy died in the Royal Melbourne Hospital from his injuries, and a 17-year-old girl remains in a critical condition.The pair were crossing on a green pedestrian light when they were struck by the vehicle in Melbourne's northwest, about 11.30pm on Tuesday.The vehicle allegedly ran a red light and did not stop.A police spokeswoman said the man would be interviewed on Friday morning.A second man is assisting police with inquiries.

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